2017 East Dunbartonshire Council election

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2017 East Dunbartonshire Council election
Flag of Scotland.svg
  2012 4 May 2017 (2017-05-04) 2022  

All 22 seats to East Dunbartonshire Council
12 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
LeaderIan MackayAndrew PolsonVaughan Moody
Party SNP Conservative Liberal Democrats
Leader's seat Bearsden North (lost re-election) Bearsden South Bearsden South
Last election8 seats, 33.3%2 seats, 8.3%3 seats, 12.5%
Seats before823
Seats won766
Seat changeDecrease2.svg1Increase2.svg4Increase2.svg3

 Fourth partyFifth party
 
LeaderRhondda GeekieDuncan Cumming
Party Labour Independent
Leader's seat Lenzie & Kirkintilloch South (lost re-election) Bearsden North
Last election8 seats, 33.3%1 seat, 4.2%
Seats before81
Seats won21
Seat changeDecrease2.svg6Steady2.svg0

Council Leader before election

Rhondda Geekie
Labour

Council Leader after election

Gordan Low
SNP

2017 Elections to East Dunbartonshire Council were held on Thursday 4 May, the same day as the 31 other local authorities in Scotland. The election used seven wards created under the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, a reduction of one from 2012, with 22 Councillors being elected, 2 fewer overall. Each ward elected either 3 or 4 members, using the STV electoral system.

Contents

The election saw the Scottish National Party elected as the largest group with 7 seats, replacing Labour, which lost all but 2 seats to form the fourth largest group. The Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party gained 4 seats to achieve their highest ever number of councillors, while the Scottish Liberal Democrats gained 3 seats. The Independent councillor Duncan Cumming retained his seat.

Labour councillor Rhondda Geekie, leader of the council since 2007, lost her seat, as did the SNP Group Leader, Ian Mackay.

Election result

East Dunbartonshire Local Election Result 2017 [1]
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  SNP 701-131.828.7713,540+0.47
  Conservative 640+427.326.4512,445+11.05
  Liberal Democrats 630+327.315.047,076+0.14
  Labour 206-69.113.096,159-15.21
  Independent 1---4.512.005,649+5.9
  Scottish Green 0----4.652,187+3.95

Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 3 May 2012. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils.

Ward results

Milngavie

Milngavie – 3 seats
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
12345
Conservative Graeme McGinnigle27.69%1,701    
Liberal Democrats Jim Goodall27.64%1,698    
SNP Jim Gibbons (incumbent)22.38%1,3751,381 1,393 1,486 1,957
Labour Maureen Henry (incumbent)9.29%571624 684 796 838
SNP Kate Waddell7.68%472473 478 560  
Scottish Green Gordon Masterton5.32%327342 372   
Electorate: TBC  Valid: 6,144  Spoilt: 98  Quota: 1,537  Turnout: 58.7%  

    Bearsden North

    Bearsden North – 3 seats
    PartyCandidateFPv%Count
    12345
    Independent Duncan Cumming (incumbent)33.23%2,338    
    Conservative Sheila Mechan20.78%1,4621,635 1,650 1,693 1,780
    Liberal Democrats Rosie O'Neil17.97%1,2641,449 1,538 1,716 2,415
    SNP Ian Mackay (incumbent)18.15%1,2771,343 1,496 1,588  
    Labour Eunis Jassemi-Zargani5.39%379411 469   
    Scottish Green Erin Crawley4.48%315355    
    Electorate: TBC  Valid: 7,035  Spoilt: 69  Quota: 1,759  Turnout: 62.1%  

      Bearsden South

      Bearsden South – 3 seats
      PartyCandidateFPv%Count
      123456
      Conservative Andrew Polson27.96%1,859     
      Liberal Democrats Vaughan Moody (incumbent)21.62%1,4371,519 1,660 2,019  
      SNP Denis Johnston18.13%1,2051,207 1,420 1,547 1,597 1,973
      Independent Alan Oliver13.19%877919 995 1,123 1,250  
      Labour Manjinder Shergill (incumbent)10.38%690711 815    
      Scottish Green Scott Ferguson8.72%580585     
      Electorate: TBC  Valid: 6,648  Spoilt: 50  Quota: 1,663  Turnout: 61.7%  

        Bishopbriggs North and Campsie

        Bishopbriggs North and Campsie – 4 seats
        PartyCandidateFPv%Count
        123456
        Conservative Billy Hendry (incumbent) †30.27%2,541     
        SNP Paul Ferretti21.79%1,829     
        SNP Mohrag Fischer14.32%1,2021,228 1,356 1,498 1,587 1,793
        Liberal Democrats Gary Pews11.40%9571,301 1,303 1,366 1,502 2,091
        Labour Gemma Welsh (incumbent) ††14.18%1,1911,308 1,313 1,364 1,451  
        Independent Brian Reid4.25%357451 454 499   
        Scottish Green Christopher Cotton3.79%318341 348    
        Electorate: TBC  Valid: 8,395  Spoilt: 127  Quota: 1,680  Turnout: 54.7%  

          Notes

          Bishopbriggs South

          Bishopbriggs South – 3 seats
          PartyCandidateFPv%Count
          123456
          Conservative Alan Brown26.74%1,631     
          SNP Gordan Low (incumbent)24.05%1,4671,470 1,536   
          Labour Alan Moir (incumbent)16.27%9921,011 1,062 1,062 1,303 2,280
          Labour Ian Elrick14.72%898926 996 996 1,194  
          SNP Irene Mackay13.76839840 883 892   
          Scottish Green Connor Boyd4.46%272281     
          Electorate: TBS  Valid: 6,099  Spoilt: 166  Quota: 1,525  Turnout: 50.3%  

            Lenzie & Kirkintilloch South

            Lenzie & Kirkintilloch South – 3 seats
            PartyCandidateFPv%Count
            12345678
            Conservative Sandra Thornton24.55%1,6341,641 1,716     
            SNP Gillian Renwick (incumbent)22.52%1,4991,576 1,611 1,612 2,093   
            Liberal Democrats Rod Ackland12.09%805847 896 914 928 989 1,342 1,825
            Independent Sandy Taylor12.19%811841 1,037 1,049 1,070 1,180 1,298  
            Labour Rhondda Geekie (incumbent)10.94%728758 777 783 797 859   
            SNP Martin Robertson7.59%505543 552 552     
            Independent Alisdair Sinclair6.23%415431       
            Scottish Green Carolynn Scrimgeour3.89%259       
            Electorate: TBC  Valid: 6,656  Spoilt: 103  Quota: 1,665  Turnout: 56.1%  

              Kirkintilloch East & North & Twechar

              Kirkintilloch East & North & Twechar – 3 seats
              PartyCandidateFPv%Count
              123456
              SNP John Jamieson (incumbent)19.80%1,1151,132 1,144 1,872  
              Labour Stewart MacDonald (incumbent)19.33%1,0891,101 1,241 1,269 1,366 1,645
              Liberal Democrats Susan Murray16.25%915931 1,183 1,215 1,281 1,678
              Independent Willie Paterson15.11%851871 1,028 1,053 1,185  
              SNP Pamela Marshall14.29%805849 858    
              Conservative Alison Lothian13.16%741741     
              Scottish Green Emma Sheppard2.06%116     
              Electorate: TBC  Valid: 5,632  Spoilt: 119  Quota: 1,409  Turnout: 47.9%  

                Aftermath

                Following the election, the Conservative and LibDem groups, who together formed a majority on the council, combined to secure the civic offices and various external appointments, the position of Provost being filled by Conservative Councillor Alan Brown and Depute Provost by LibDem Councillor Gary Pews. However, with the 2017 general election just weeks away, the two groups abstained on each other's nominations for the political posts, allowing the SNP to form a minority administration with Cllr Gordan Low as Leader and Cllr Gillian Renwick as Depute.

                Thereafter, the Conservative and LibDem groups continued to vote together, and matters came to a head when a revised redundancy policy was pushed through against the opposition of the SNP administration. After a motion by the council leader calling for the policy to be withdrawn was rejected by Conservative and LibDem councillors, the administration stood down on 21 December 2017.

                For the next few months the council functioned without an official administration, and then on 20 March 2018 Conservative Leader Councillor Andrew Polson and Lib Dem Leader Vaughan Moody were elected as Co-Leaders of the new Joint Administration, a first in East Dunbartonshire. Shortly thereafter the new redundancy policy was suspended in the face of potential industrial action.

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                References

                1. "East Dunbartonshire Election Results". East Dunbartonshire Council. Retrieved 5 May 2017.